Advertising display apparatus.



No. 764,510. PATENTED JULY 5, 1904. J. I. WILEY. ADVERTISING DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2G, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented J' uly 5, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

A. PHI PPS,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADVERTISING DISPLAY APPARATUS. i

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 764,510, dated uly 5, 1904. Application tiled May 26, 1903. Serial No. 158,802. (No modeLl To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN I. WILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county oiDenver and State of Colorado, have invented certai n new and useful Improvements in Advertising Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to apparatus for displaying signs, pictures, or'objects of any sort for advertising or other purposes, and when used as an advertising device it displays the object and the reiiection ot' the object at different periods of time and also at a period ot" time between the display of the object itself and the reiiection of the object it operates to display to the spectator such a confused reflection of the object as will attract attention of the spectator and at another period of time operates `to present to the spectator a substantially plane blank mirror.

Referring' to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front View of the apparatus, the front ofthe casing being' removed at line 1 l of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view on line 2 2 of Fig. l of the apparatus, showing the series of parallel mirrors resting at anl angle of fort f-five degrees to the line of sight, the `front of the casing of the apparatus being restored. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the mirrors in the same plane with the line ot' sight or, in other words, perpendicular to the plane ot' the picture 7. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the mirrors at right angles to the mirrors positioned as shown in Fig. 2 or forty-tive degrees to themirrors shown in Fig. 3 and also at forty-live degrees to the line of' sight. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the mirrors in their folded or lapped .position, whereat they form a substantially plane mirror.

In this device a series of parallel doublefaced plane blank` mirrors l, preferably reetangular, are positioned horizontally or vertically in the front ofa casing or box 2 by means of pintles 3, projecting from the ends of the mirrors near each corner into sockets l in the parallel bars 5 and 6, one of which, preferably 5, is stationary with respect to the casing and the other of which, 6, is movable throughout its length through equal arcs of circles centered in the sockets in the stationary bar 5.

Within thecasing a picture or other object 7 is positioned just behind the mirrors. In front of or behind the object and also within the casing are shown electric lights 8; but any other light may be substituted, such as daylight, which may be utilized by opening the back of the casing when a translucent object is to be displayed. Further than this, the object may be displayed without light from within the casing or through the rear of the casing, for, as is obvious, the light may come upon the object through the glass window in `the front of the casing, and such would be preferable when opaque objects are to 'be displayed. When the light comes `trom the front, the mirrors themselves operate to collect and throw the light upon the object. The electric light 8', which is positioned within the casing between the mirrors and the object, is especially useful when it is desired to dis} ilay in the absence of other light an opaque object.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, rays incident from the object 7 fall upon the under faces oi! the upper adjacent mirrors and are reliected therefrom at an equal angle downward upon the upper l'aces of the next lower adjacent mirrors, where'l'rorn they are again reliected at an equal angle to the spectator. At such positions of the mirrors the spectator sees into the upper `faces only oi" the mirrors and the eye is aifected by the virtual image of the object. In the reflection oi' the whole oil.E such image each ot the mirrors 1 serves its share, which is proportionate to the lield ot' its surface which is exposed to the rays incident from the object,

the series assembling the complete image 'et the object.

A line from the eye of the spectator to the image of the object is herein termed the line of sight.

In order to attract attention or catch the eye of the spectator, the mirrors are'lowered until they assume the positions shown in Fig.

V3, at which position the object itself is visible between the mirrors to the spectator and not its reflected image. During the movement of the mirrors from their position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3 the reflections of the object are broken up because of the multiplicity of reflections and there is presented to the spectators eye a confused kaleidoseopic effect. During the further downward movement of the mirrors from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4, whereat the mirrors again rest with their faces (in this case their upper faces) at an angle of forty-live degress to the line of sight,

there is again revealed to the spectator thel same confused kaleidoscopic effect as was revealed when the vmirrors turned from their positions shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3 and for the same reasons. When the mirrors are in the position shown in Fig. 4, a virtual image of the object identical with that revealed when the mirrors were positioned as in Figs. 1 and 2 is revealed to the spectator by reason of the mirrors having double parallel faces. In this position, however, the spectator sees into the under faces only of the mirrors. Now upon a further movement of the mirrors downward from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in 5 the reflected image is again broken up and reveals to the spectator the same or a like confused kaleidoscopic effect described with respect to that revealed in the movements of the mirrors from the positions shown in Fig. 2 to Fig. 3 and from Fig. 8 to Fig. 4.

In a position shown in Fig. 5 the mirrors lap closely upon one another and present to the spectator a substantially plane mirror marred only by the almost invisible lines at their lapping. A reverse or upward movement of the mirrors would reveal the object to the spectator just as before described with respect to the downward movement of the mirrors, but in reverse consecutive order. At the termination of the upward movement of the mirrors a substantially plane mirror would be again obtained.

The movement of the mirrors upward and downward on their axes is preferably accomplished by means of a revoluble shaft 9 parallel to the outer long edge of the mirrors and journaled at the end of the series of mirrors, preferably in the stationary bars 5, as shown in Fig. 2. Rigid with this shaft and projecting diametrically therefrom is a plate 10, to the free end edge of which the movable bar 6 is fastened and the plate maintained parallel with the next adjacent mirror, so that upon the turning of the shaft 9 the bar 6 must move Aand also all the mirrors. At one end of the shaft 9 of the plate 10 is a pinion 11, fast upon the shaft. Parallel with the axis of the shaft of the plate 10 and distanced from it out of the way of the movement of the plate 10 is a power-shaft 12, having at one end a crank-wheel 13, to the outer side of which is pivoted at a point off its center a pitman-rod 14, having on one edge a' rack 15, which meshes with the teeth of the pinion 11 upon the shaft of the plate 10. The power-shaft 12 is revolved by any suitable mechanism,such as a hand-crank 17. The turning of the power-shaft 12 moves the pitman back and forth, and hence the pinion on the shaft 9 back and forth, and therefore the plate 10 and the mirrors back and forth, as described, to attain the several different revelations of the object. A spring-guide 16, Fig. 2, fastened on the side of the casing, presses on the pitman and keeps its rack in mesh with the pinion 11.

' Vhen the mirrors are turned to either extreme, they overlap and, besides forming a snbstantially plane mirror,they form a screen to hide the mechanism while the picture or object is being changed, Whether this change be made by an attendant or be done automatically and whether under artificial light or in daylight.

The best image has been found to be obtained when the mirrors are distanced from each other, so that When the mirrors rest at an angle of forty-tive degrees to the line of sight each mirror will be of suflicientwidth to cover the space'between its axis and the axis of the adjacent mirror which is nearest its free edge.

Vhile I have described and shown the mirrors as hinged after the manner of the Wellknown Venetian blind, it is obvious that they may be pivoted centrally or in any other manner which will permit their movements in parallel relation to reflect to the spectator an assembly of the image of the object, and other modifications in details of structure and arrangement may be made to adapt my invention for various purposes Without departing from the spirit of the concluding claims.

I clairn- 1. In a display apparatus, a casing or closure provided with an opening in the front thereof, an object in said closure, aseries of doublefaced, parallel, opaque blank mirrors hinged axially parallel and movable in parallel relation, spanning and closing said window-opening in the manner and for the purpose, substantially as described.

2. In a display apparatus, a casing or closure provided with a window-opening in the front thereof, a series of doubled-faced, parallel, opaque, blank mirrors closing said opening, an object located behind said series of mirrors, in combination with means for moving said mirrors in parallel relation to reveal said object and its reflection at different periods of time, substantially as described.

3. In a display apparatus, acasing or closure provided with a window-opening in the front thereof, a series of double faced parallel opaque blank mirrors hinged axially parallel and movable in parallel relation to present to the spectator either a substantially plane mirror, a virtual image or a confused image of the object substantially as described.

TOO

IIO

4. In a display apparatus, aeasing or closure provided with a window-opening in the front thereof, a series of double faced, parallel opaque blank mirrors hinged axially parallel and movable in parallel relation to prefi sent to the spectator in sequence, a substantially planeV blank mirror, a confused image of the object, a Virtual image or' theobjeet, a confused image of the object, the object, a confused image of the object, a virtual image of the object, a confused image of the object, and a substantially plane blank mirror, during its movement substantially as described.

5. In a display apparatus, a casing-or closureh JOHN WILEY. Witnesses:

A. ROLAND JoHNsoN, Guo. M. WILEY. 

